The International Space Station (ISS) continues to orbit the Earth in
good shape with no significant problems being worked by flight controllers
in Houston and Moscow.

The focus of attention
for the two flight control teams is preparation for the launch of Atlantis
next month on the STS-101 mission, the first Shuttle flight to the ISS
in almost a year. Six American astronauts and a veteran Russian cosmonaut
will spend six days docked to the Station to conduct maintenance work
on the Unity and Zarya modules and to transfer a ton of logistical supplies
for use by the first resident crew which will occupy the ISS later this
year.

Atlantis is nearing
completion of processing for its first flight in a year and a half after
undergoing significant upgrades. Rollover from the Orbiter Processing
Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building is currently scheduled for
no earlier than March 16. Launch remains targeted for the mid-April
timeframe. Managers plan to discuss the launch date for Atlantis at
the traditional Orbiter Rollout Review meeting, which will take place
tomorrow.

Meanwhile, aboard
the ISS, battery cycling on Zarya continues with power levels well within
normal ranges to support mission activities. Currently, the Unity module
power levels are 430 watts. Zarya’s Battery 1, which will be replaced
during the STS-101 mission along with its associated electronics components,
has been fully discharged, and will not be reactivated prior to the
visit of Atlantis’ crew members. Battery 2 remains off-line after
a component called a Storage Battery Current Converter (PTAB in Cyrillic),
which controls its charging and discharging capability, failed several
weeks ago. That component will also be replaced during STS-101. Discussions
continue between U.S. and Russian managers regarding battery management
from now until the Shuttle maintenance mission.

Late Monday night,
U.S. time, the ISS will be maneuvered by Russian flight controllers
to simulate the ultimate orientation the Station will be in for Atlantis’
docking next month. That will be followed by one final test of Zarya’s
“Kurs” system, the automatic docking system which will be
used this summer when Zarya controls the final phase of the Station’s
approach and docking to the Zvezda Service Module following its launch
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Unity’s power output will be lowered
to eliminate any potential for radio frequency interference with the
“Kurs” system during the test.

The International
Space Station is in an orbit of 235 by 226 statute miles. Since the
launch of Zarya in November 1998, the ISS has completed more than 7,430
orbits.

NOTE: The next
Mission Control Center status report updating on-orbit activities of
the International Space Station will be issued on Thursday, March 16
or as events warrant. For further information, please contact the NASA
Public Affairs Office at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 281-483-5111.

NASA Johnson Space Center Shuttle Mission/Space Station Status Reports and other information
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